The present invention relates to an extendable key operator and more particularly to a hand held extendable key operator which allows a person to use a key a distance from his hand.
Periodically, it is necessary for a person to operate a key, such as a metal key or key card or the like, in a lock which is spaced a distance from his hand. For example, one such condition exists when a person desires to operate a lock from a car. In many instances, the lock is spaced a sufficient distance from the car so that it is difficult for a person to reach out of the car window and operate the lock with a key held in his hand. Rather, the person must either open the door of the car to reach the lock and partially exit the car to operate the lock with a hand held key, or move the car until the car is close enough to the lock so that the the person can stretch out of the car window to manually operate the lock. In some instances, barricades do not allow a person to move the car close enough to operate the lock and the person must then open the door in order to operate the lock. It is also desirable to provide a key operator which allows successful operation of a lock with a key a distance from a person whose stature, handicap or disability make it difficult to operate the lock with a hand held key.
In general, locks are installed for security and when a person is required to open his car door, the security of that person is decreased. In addition, when a person is forced to open the car door or even reach a substantial distance out of the car window, during undesirable weather conditions such as cold, snow, wind or rain, his arm and upper torso are exposed to the weather elements which may cause discomfort.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a key operator which allows a person to use a key a substantial distance from his hand. By extending the key a substantial distance from the person's hand, the person will not be required to extend his hand as far from the vehicle.
It is also desirable that the key operator be rigid in an extended position so that the key may be moved forward to insert and rotate the key in the lock a distance from the person's hand. The rigid key operator acts as an extension of the person's hand. This rigidity of the key operator allows a person to operate the key in the lock a distance from his hand.
It is also desirable that the key operator be collapsible to a storage or retracted position and be compact in size so that the key operator can easily be carried by a person such as in his pocket, purse, bag or the like or otherwise stored in a secure place, such as the glove compartment of a vehicle. This desirable feature of compact size in the storage position is converse to the desirable feature of substantial extension when the key operator is in the extended position described above. The more compact the key operator is in the storage position, the more easily it can be carried or stored. Conversely, the key operator must be extendable to a substantial distance from the persons hand when used to operate a lock.
It is also desirable that such a key operator be locked when in the storage or retracted position so that the components of the key operator are not loose when stored and subject to damage or an inconvenience for the person carrying the key operator.
It is also desirable to provide a key operator with simplified movement between the extended and the storage positions to decrease its size, weight, and cost of manufacture.
Known apparatuses provide for extending a key from a key pouch or holder. One such known apparatus is disclosed in Nash, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,583,961. Such an apparatus provides a key pouch with a "tong" linkage system. A key supporting plate with a number of loosely supported metal keys thereon is movable between a position in the pouch to a position just outside the end of the pouch so that the keys may be gripped by a person to operate a lock. In such a key pouch, the keys are not moved a substantial distance from the key pouch to operate a lock at a distance from the pouch. The keys are not mounted so as to be rigid in an extended position so that a key could be operated by a person holding the key pouch. Such a key pouch also does not meet the desirable feature of being compact when in the storage position. Furthermore, the "tong" linkage system has a number of different moving components which are subject to binding and does not provide a design which has a simplified movement of its components. Furthermore, the great number of components necessary in such a design does not meet the desirable feature of decreased size, weight, and cost of manufacture.
Other known apparatuses provide for the use of a handle with a sliding member on the handle and a key attached to the sliding member. The sliding member slides away from the handle to expose the concealed key. Such know apparatuses are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,885,957 and 2,482,623.
These known apparatuses operate to move a key from a stored position inside of a key case to a position outside of the key case by using a sliding member. These known devices do not provide for the use of a key a substantial distance from a person's hand. Furthermore, these designs do not allow for a substantial extension of the key from the case while still being compact in a storage position. Inherent in the use of a sliding member is that the key cannot be extended further than a portion of the length of the sliding member. For example, the key case in Kaminger U.S. Pat. No. 2,482,623 does not allow for extension of the key further than the length of the sliding member since a portion of the sliding member must be retained in the handle for securing the handle to the sliding member.